@SecondJon I'd argue it the other way around. You were basically comparing the overdose crisis in California with a world-wide pandemic.

That people have a lot more attention to Covid-19 doesn't mean that the overdose thing is less terrible. It means the overdose situation is simply at a lower priority. After all, OD is still own choice (albeit possibly addled with a lot of mental trouble beforehand). A highly infectious virus needs immediate attention.

So, no, likely it is not 'making us blind to other situations'. More like 'other situations will have to wait, because this is more severe and needs attention right now.'

Sure, if you break a leg, and get a heart attack at the same time.. feel free to tell the paramedic to treat your leg first instead of making sure your heart still beats, if that is what you're going for.

Additional food for thought: The increase of overdoses... is that maybe because the people can't handle the situation around Covid-19? That they more easily reach towards drugs? In that case, it is even more paramount to solve this pandemic. The OD increase is a symptom, and you should fight the cause, not only the symptom.

@trinsec I agree with how you ended this. I don't think people are getting covid then overdosing. So the cause isn't directly covid. I'd guess the driving factor is government response to covid. And if that's the case then we need to resolve that.

And there's no need to say we can't have a covid vaccine AND address the causes behind the mental health crisis which in at least this case is taking more lives than covid.

@SecondJon Nah, I'm not talking about getting covid and then overdosing. I'm talking about a 'oh shit, we can't go out, I could get infected, oh woe is me, let me grab some drugs to possibly try and forget about all this' type deal.

And yes, it doesn't mean this should be left untreated until Covid is finished (because let's be honest, how long is that going to take?)
But as I read this, California's mental health support seems to be lacking already, so not sure how you can improve that right now WITH the pandemic going on, alas.

But the original point you made was 'this is worse than the virus', and that's what I argued against. The virus makes it worse.

@trinsec that's a bit of a leap. The virus itself doesn't make it worse, as we've agreed it's unlikely that people are killing themselves because they got covid.

The government response to the virus makes it worse, and I think it's unwise to assume that addressing a medical problem will resolve a political problem that's causing the increase in suicide.

Its sort of like thinking..... My spouse beats me because the dishes were dirty, clearly the problem is the dishes.